Strange Ones: Volume 3

Fear of Being Discovered

As Asriel began to talk about the recent events that has happened in the past, Chara looked out the window. When her red eyes looked down, she suddenly took a glimpse of a line of white vans with black symbols on them. She squinted at the vans. More specifically, the symbols on them. Then, her eyes widen with shock, for she recognized that symbol from the Delta Base. It was the Atlas soldiers. Gritting her teeth tightly, she shook her head before falling out of her seat. That was when Asriel and Kubo noticed her.

"Chara, are you okay?" Kubo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Chara didn't reply. All she did was run from them. Both of the boys looked at her with looks of confusion. But they immediately knew why from the moment they looked out the window and saw the white vans and soldiers in pure white uniforms.

"Oh no..." Asriel said.

"Atlas..." The one-eyed boy looked down at the floor.

Chara ran out of the coliseum's food court, her ruby-colored eyes wide. She looked over her shoulder to see if anyone, even those Atlas soldiers, were behind her. Fortunately for her, there were none. She took a deep breath and ran through the hallways without stopping. 

She didn't want to be seen by any familiar faces who were standing in the coliseum. Nor did she want to be found by any of them. Chara was basically hiding from everyone she has met today. But with the Atlas soldiers surrounding Strange Coliseum during the Strange Games, hiding from the eyes of her peers would be rather difficult for her.

If she were to be honest, she would admit that she was scared of what would happen to her if she didn't find the key to her past known as Frisk. She had met Frisk Dreemurr, but that one didn't say anything. It was either that there were more Frisks in her current location or the Frisk she had met was hiding something. Chara couldn't risk wasting time and sitting around. Looking for her past was her top priority, after all.

Chara didn't want to be found by those Atlas soldiers. She was afraid that if they did, they would bring her back to the Delta Base. With that, she will be barred from going outside. Who knows what will happen to her if that thought were to come true? Chara was scared out of her mind, her mind racing and her heart rapidly beating fast as a hummingbird flapping its tiny wings. She didn't want that moment to happen. Not at all.

As she ran, she felt the urge to hide. Then suddenly, an idea sparked her brain. Yes! She would have to hide herself from any Atlas soldier who resided within the coliseum! But the question is where would she hide? She looked around the hallway she ran through until a bathroom door caught her attention. Skidding her feet, Chara ran straight to the bathroom, running past a woman who was leaving the door in the process.

As soon as Chara stepped inside, she stopped at her tracks. Her eyes scanned for a vacant stall. Luckily, all seven of them were empty. She had to be quick before anyone else would find her. Finally, she made her choice. She ran to the third stall and slammed the door shut before locking it. Then, she sat down on the toilet with no intentions to use it, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. Her heart was still beating rapidly from running, but as soon as she took in several deep breaths, it began to slow down. Then, her gaze pointed at the tan tiles of the floor.

"What's gone into me?" Chara quietly said to herself. "I've only came here to find the source of my past. But so far, I found nothing but other people who claim to know who I am. I have to stop sitting around and wait. Frisk is the only person who I can trust. If I find her, of course."

The young girl looked down at her hands with an uncertain expression upon her face. But before she could blink, her surroundings began to change and so did the appearance of her hands. The brightness of the bathroom quickly turned into a dark area at night. With wide eyes, Chara let out a loud gasp. What she was seeing froze her in place.

She found herself standing in the streets of a town. Many people of a variety of ages were screaming in fear. Their bodies and clothes were filthy from dust and smoke, tears streamed down the eyes of children who were hiding from what was attacking their home. Chara was confused at first, but when she looked up, she finally found the reason of all of this happening. Above them were bug-winged individuals with green eyes of hatred, each one with weapons and bombs on them.

All Chara could do now was look around with petrified wide eyes. She looked down at her hands again before she suddenly found one of them holding a knife with a red blade. When her crimson eyes stared at the blade, her reflection appeared on the glowing metal. All of the sudden, her reflection was replaced with a black silhouette that wielded unpromising red eyes and an evil smile. Chara was about to touch the image in the blade before it quickly turned into a sadistic face of laughter and then everything turned blood red.

Snapping her eyes open, Chara let out a loud shriek. Breathing rapidly, she looked around at her surroundings, becoming relieved when she found that she was still inside the third stall of the bathroom. She turned to her hands and found them empty. The knife she had seen in what seemed to be a vision of some sort was missing. Suddenly, her breath became shaky and a hand grabbed her shirt and held it tightly. Tears were already trickling down her eyes as she knew it.

What's happening to me? The young girl thought, confused and fearful. Where are all of these images coming from? Could they come from my past? I want to know... I need to know!

Chara sniffled twice before she decided that it was best for her to leave her stall. Then, she trudged to one of the sinks so she could wash her face. As soon as she turned one of the levers, water spewed out of the faucet and into the sink. Forming both her hands into a bowl-like form, her hands caught the water that came from the faucet and splashed it onto her face. She repeated her actions three more times before deciding that she was done. After splashing any access water off her hands, she turned the right faucet and the water came to a stop. She grabbed tissues from a nearby dispenser and used three of them to wipe her hands and then her face.

Letting out a sigh, Chara opened her eyes to look at the mirror. But then, her eyes widen to find a familiar face in the mirror, and she was standing behind her...